2010 Presenters
Lisa Birnbach
Lisa Birnbach first struck a chord with the American public as the editor and co-author of the 1980 phenomenon The Official Preppy Handbook, which spent an impressive 38 weeks at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and sold 1.3 million copies. It also spawned a cultural revolution of sorts and was the inspiration for J. Crew, the favorite store of First Preppy Michelle Obama. Since then Birnbach has written for numerous publications including the New York Times and Rolling Stone, and is currently a contributing editor for Parade. She was the deputy editor of SPY magazine, and has authored or co-authored more than 21 books, including 40% Off is the New Black! She has appeared on “Late Night with Conan O'Brien,” “The Today Show,” and “Politically Incorrect.” Her new book, True Prep, a collaboration with renowned graphic designer Chip Kidd, looks at how “the old guard of natural-fiber-loving, dog-worshipping, G&T-soaked preppies adapts to the new order of the Internet, cell phones, rehab, political correctness, reality TV and . . . polar fleece.”
LINKS:
Guide to Birnbach's first book, The Preppy Handbook
Article about the original Preppy Handbook and its sequel, True Prep in the New York Times
The publisher's profile of True Prep
